the newspaper pointed to chung's initiative to promote foreign investment in the country. it said he had thrown the country's fiscal management system into turmoil and put the precious resources at low prices. the party said purging chung and its synthesizers has dealt a blow. north korea's announcement drew surprise from around the world. we asked an expert on politics in the north about development in the secretive country. >> translator: the north korean leadership confirmed the dismissal after making careful procedural arrangements in a very formal manner. it is safe to say that chung has been completely removed from the center of power. in other words, he has been dismissed from the government and lost his party membership. the leadership made it certain chung will never again get near the inner circle of authority. there will be little damage to the kim dynasty, as chung is only a relative by marriage to the north korean leader. he formerly yielded power as husband of the sister of late leader kim jong-il. there has, however, been no sighting of her, who suffers from